6 April 1862: “I was glad she [the CSS Virginia] did not go down, hope that we may have hereafter sufficient respect for the Sabbath not to commence an attack on that day.”

Item description: Rev. Overton Bernard recounts his visits to sick soldiers. Out of respect for the Sabbath, Bernard supports the decision not to to use the CSS Virginia in battle.

[Transcription available below image]


Item citation: From folder 2 of the Overton and Jesse Bernard Diaries #62-z,  Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

About Overton Bernard: Overton Bernard kept his diary while serving as a Methodist minister in Edenton, N.C., 1824, and as a bank employee in Portsmouth, Va., 1858-1863.

Item transcription:

Sunday morning, 6th April, a lovely day this; I went to the Naval hospital again this morning, saw a number of sick soldiers and gave them religious advice and distributed tracts.

It has been rumored for some days that the Virginia was to come out of the Dock and attack the Lincoln Fleet off Old Point. She was brought out of the dock this afternoon but I was glad she did not go down, hope that we may have hereafter sufficient respect for the Sabbath not to commence an attack on that day.

This entry was posted in Southern Historical Collection and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.